Inter Miami 2 Porto 1: Messi's magical free kick lights up Club World Cup in comeback win
Lionel Messi lit up the Club World Cup with a vintage free-kick that sealed a 2-1 comeback win over Porto.
In front of a 31,783-crowd at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium (not bad with the game kicking off at 3pm local time on a Thursday), Porto led through a penalty inside 10 minutes before Telasco Segovia drew Miami level with a thumping finish. But then up stepped Messi just before the hour mark to place a brilliant free kick into the top corner.
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Messi's presence has been key to FIFA's attempt to promote the tournament to the U.S. public and so the world governing body will be delighted with his headline goal. The win puts Miami on four points, level with Palmeiras, with Porto and Al Ahly on one point.
Miami face Palmeiras and Porto play Al Ahly on June 24 with the top two teams progressing to the knockout stages.
Here, Felipe Cardenas and Conor O'Neill analyse the action from Atlanta.
Messi and beautifully struck free-kicks remain one of football's most enduringly breathtaking spectacles, and his latest brilliant effort capped a spirited second-half revival from Miami.
Anyone of a Porto persuasion would have drawn a sharp breath when Messi won the set piece himself, crashing into Ze Pedro on the edge of the area. The penalty was perfectly positioned centrally on the edge of the D, a nightmare for Porto shotstopper Claudio Ramos who knew Messi had a clear view of both corners.
Messi chose the right, curling a precise left-footed strike into the top corner, beyond Ramos's despairing dive, the ball nestling into the side netting.
Besides his magical free-kick, Messi — who was named Superior Player of the Match — sparkled throughout, with everything filtering through the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner. Despite injury concerns coming into the game, he was sharp from the start.
Within the first two minutes, he picked up the ball on the right, drove into the half-space and floated a great cross into an offside Luis Suarez. His former Barcelona team-mate's sluggishness repeatedly let Messi's brilliance go to waste in the first half.
Moments later, he chested down a high ball to take two Porto defenders out of the game, only for Suarez to be caught flat-footed as Messi threaded another incisive pass his way. Once again, Messi was the creative hub at the heart of Miami's best attacking moves.
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Relying so much on one player, even one as freakishly talented as Messi, has its downsides with Miami looking structurally all over the place as the Argentinian was given freedom to roam. (He was also quite comically nutmegged towards the end of the game.)
Still, when he produces moments of magic like this, it's hard to argue with the simplicity of the 'get it to Messi' approach.
Conor O'Neill
Miami wasn't supposed to be here.
They didn't win the MLS Cup final and their Concacaf ranking or any other parameters weren't good enough to warrant a Club World Cup berth. But FIFA always reserves a host slot, and when Miami won the MLS Supporters' Shield in 2024 (given to the team that earns the most regular season points), FIFA president Gianni Infantino had the loophole he needed. Miami and Messi are here and they may be around longer than many expected.
Messi's clever free kick was a vintage strike. We've all seen the Argentine do that on numerous occasions. On Thursday in Atlanta, however, it sent shockwaves throughout the football world. Even with Messi, a five-year-old MLS club isn't supposed to take down a perennial UEFA Champions League club. Miami, with Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suarez, and despite all their squad limitations (depth the primary issue), are a story that the Club World Cup needs.
Felipe Cardenas
Atlanta United, the local MLS side that calls Mercedes-Benz Stadium home, averages over 40,000 fans a game. When Messi has come with Miami for a regular-season match, or a pivotal playoff clash, the 72,000-seat stadium nearly sells out.
The 2024 Copa America opener between Argentina and Canada boasted 70,000 fans, so why did so many people stay home during the Club World Cup?
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Messi remains a major draw in any city he visits in the U.S., but national pride isn't on the line this summer. People won't skip work for what still feels like a summer friendly.
Plus, the 32-team team Club World Cup is a novel idea that many Americans don't understand or don't care about. There isn't a large community of Portuguese expats in Atlanta, either.
But while the empty seats may be an eyesore on television, inside the stadium the vibe was much different. The fans who are here were wide-eyed at the sight of Messi and the dome-shaped nature of the stadium made a for a decent atmosphere considering the attendance of 31,783.
Felipe Cardenas
For all of Messi's magic, Porto were poor again tonight. Martin Anselmi's side, like in the game against Palmeiras, were painfully slow in possession and careless in the final third. One small consolation was the bright display of centre-forward Samu Aghehowa, who netted a first-half penalty and offered a rare spark.
Aside from the penalty Samu began the game sluggishly but became a dangerous threat as the contest wore on. Early on, he frequently lost the ball with loose touches in tight spaces. Porto's slow build-up did him few favours, allowing Miami to settle into a compact low block that restricted Samu's space.
After shaking off this rustiness, he started stretching the Miami defence with his purposeful running in behind. Miami centre backs Ian Fray and Maximiliano Falcon struggled to cope with his physicality on the rare occasions when Porto went long. His combination play, particularly with the lively Rodrigo Mora, stood out with a slick backheel to Mora inside the box a highlight, whose shot was scrambled off the line by Falcon.
Just before half-time, Samu finally had a chance to stretch those powerful legs. Picking up the ball in the left channel in his own half, he drove rapidly past the Miami defence, shrugged off Fray, and hit a low driven effort on target.
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As Porto pushed for an equaliser, Samu continued to offer a threat up top, but was frustrated by his teammates' predictable passing and limited movement. But Samu's driving runs, dynamic movement, and smart link-up reminded us why Chelsea were so keen on him last summer.
Conor O'Neill
Monday, June 23: Palmeiras, Club World Cup group stage (Miami), 9pm ET, 2am (Tuesday) UK
Monday, June 23: Al Ahly, Club World Cup group stage (East Rutherford), 9pm ET, 2am (Tuesday) UK
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